"Beast Hunters" to be the Last Chapter in the Transformers Prime Saga?

NOOOOOO!!!

The mention of TF4 is what worries me...I could easily see them wanting to create a new cartoon that jives more with the movies (so that kids can be less confused...again). Too bad if true, the Prime series is more than the movies could ever be. TF4 would have to be darn good for this to be ok.

Not too surprised, but I am disappointed. I would hope that whatever comes next is just as interesting

And on top of that, season 3 is down from 16 episodes to just 13 now? Something's not consistent here, so I'm not believing anything just yet...

new iteration? maybe we will see headmasters or something master
that would be something we hadn't seen for awhile

I always heard it was 13 episodes, which makes sense: enough to get to 65 episodes, the magic number for syndication.

I'm guessing TF:Prime, which is a pricey show to make, was not the big moneymaker that HUB/Hasbro had anticipated (toy line included). 'Beast Hunters' was the first sign things were not going well, because that is a major retooling for any show.

Ah well, got a better run that Animated. Looking forward to what is next.

Why Hasbro?! Why must you do this again?! First you take away TF Animated and now you wanna take away my TF Prime?! Por que?!?!?!?!

Bummer. As long as what comes after doesn't comprimise the more serious tone and character development from PRIME, I'm down. PRIME wasn't perfect anyway, but, as mentioned, its FAAAAR better than the movies, and hopefully the future shows don't suffer due to the movies.

They need to make a show that has a very concurrent toyline. Use the show as a toy commercial like they did with G1. It doesn't have to have crappy story and characters just to sell toys, do both. That way it keeps the audiences interested and sustains viewership longevity. I guess that's a big risk, but come on. Always playing it safe isn't good for any business no matter how large.

It´s was kind of obvious from the start, hasn´t every Transformers show in the past ended after season 3? (3 episodes don´t count as a fourth season).

I wonder what they mean by "new iteration" and "this iteration", does that mean we´ll get a sequel show? you know, in the same way Energon was a sequel for Armada.

Like what most people have said, I am not surprised either. While it was a good show, it was a bit weak in that it wasn't compelling enough to be exciting storytelling (Orci and Kurtzman are hacks). Also I feel the show was probably expensive to produce assuming that creating CGI models require time and resources (maybe the actors were expensive too).

Janus Prime wrote:It´s was kind of obvious from the start, hasn´t every Transformers show in the past ended after season 3? (3 episodes don´t count as a fourth season).

I wonder what they mean by "new iteration" and "this iteration", does that mean we´ll get a sequel show? you know, in the same way Energon was a sequel for Armada.

Its likely a sequel or some other story line in the "Aligned continuity".

I am not worried.

From what I was guessing is that they want to change focus and do a 30th anniversary reboot of Generation 1. Namely in a way that it can reflect their upcoming toyline, and maybe establish a continuity that reflects what was created for WFC/FOC.

Plus, this allows TOMY to pull a Beast Wars and consider establishing a follow-up series that ties into their Arms Micron line. But even if either thing is not the case, I think the two companies will do something that wows the areas that they have jurisdiction in.

*sigh* that's disappointing. I was sure it was going to happen with this season since it was only 13 episodes, but it still sucks. Hopefully the next one we get isn't crap like Animated was.

Whoah whoah whoah......wait, Hasbro's doing a series where the main characters from MLP become HUMAN!!!!?

GRRR.......how the frack did they read my mind????

Well, now I have to watch it, because I've always said I would only watch something MLP related if they did this.

Fires_Of_Inferno wrote:*sigh* that's disappointing. I was sure it was going to happen with this season since it was only 13 episodes, but it still sucks. Hopefully the next one we get isn't crap like Animated was.

If it is, I think we will hear the silent screams of those who disliked Animated be done in unison. But in cases, 2014 is the 30th anniversary for the franchise. And it is the 25th anniversary for Victory, as well. So I doubt they will do anything that will muck this milestone up.

thank god, maybe now we will finally get a good continuity & hasbro will stop saying TFP & the cybertron games are the same thing.

it's all about money..

new toys, new toys, new toys.. especially now that a deluxe is going to cost you $16 even at WALMART!

one of these days hasbro is going to ruin this franchise.

Bumblevivisector wrote:And on top of that, season 3 is down from 16 episodes to just 13 now? Something's not consistent here, so I'm not believing anything just yet...

Maybe that 75 minute movie thing will be the conclusion to the series? 75 minutes is a pretty typical runtime for an animated film being placed in a 90 minute time slot. Maybe the 13 episode season of Beast Hunters will be followed up with an OVA-type deal that can also be split up into 3 individual episodes?

Still, damn shame. The best cartoon since Beast Wars, and every time I watch it it gets a little closer to that crown.

TimothyR wrote:it's all about money..

new toys, new toys, new toys.. especially now that a deluxe is going to cost you $16 even at WALMART!

one of these days hasbro is going to ruin this franchise.

You don't say.

I guess that is like saying Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ruined Sherlock Holmes because his final story had us see Holmes being retired, right? Or that Bandai has ruined Mobile Suit Gundam simply by doing this act numerous times.

Point being is that there would be no Transformers if it was not for Hasbro. And the last thing Hasbro will ever do is ruin something that has put them on the map from 1984 to today. And price is only an issue, mind you, simply because stores have to pay their bills, employees, and stick make a profit. (Hence why they are able to do price competition at times, as even price matching makes them a profit. Just saying.)

hat I find funny is that they're focusing on "Asia expansion" just like they have "expanded into Russia. Seems a lot of people forget that Russia is most of Asia's land mass.

I'm hopeful that a "new iteration" could mean a series that is closer in design to the property's origins in story and style than either the excellent but slightly divergent Prime or the Bayformer crap, considering the acceptance of the Cybertron games, the United storyline, the 30th anniversary and the design efforts seen recently in their toys that try to bridge the design gap between Bayformers and G1, I'm hoping to see something closer to a High Moon/G1 styling with the same writing and production quality seen in Prime. I don't think anyone wants a Bayformer show...and keep in mind that Bayformers predates Prime by a few years and still Prime went a new direction. Seems to me that if they'd wanted a pure Bayformers style show, they'd have done it in 2010 instead of Prime.

I hope I'm right. Making a Bayformers anime NOW would seem VERY backwards to me and counter to their efforts in the past couple years. *shrug*

The poor way season 2 was handled as far as repeatedly ditching all that great story potential makes it difficult to look forward to season 3.

Part of me is expecting a canned, repetitive 'defeat a new beast-baddie every episode' show.

You guys give the writers to much flack. The people that you should hold your ire for are the producers.

I'm all for a new series if it's good. Don't get me wrong I like TFP, but I'm fine with it ending after 3 seasons and a movie.

Fires_Of_Inferno wrote:*sigh* that's disappointing. I was sure it was going to happen with this season since it was only 13 episodes, but it still sucks. Hopefully the next one we get isn't crap like Animated was.

Um... how was Animated crap exactly? Because it had good storytelling and character development? Because the Decepticons actually felt like a threat (at first) rather than panto villains?
Okay, sure I know Sari Sumdac is a little annoying, but I'll take her over the "quirky" human characters of the movies who all act like they have mental retardation any day. And yes, the series got canned before they could play out the storylines they set up but that was Cartoon Network's fault, and to this day I have not heard a single good reason for its cancellation. I'd be inclined to blame Revenge of the Fallen, but frankly there are enough reasons to hate it without making my blood boil over probably my favourite TF series being cancelled.
Urgh, sorry, if you don't like Animated that's fine, I just wanted to vent my opinions.
Personally, as with Animated's end, I doubt this has anything to do with the upcoming movie. That still doesn't change the fact that I won't be watching it. It's going to suck, no question. We've been kicked in the balls twice, there's no reason to expect lightning to strike on the third time. After nearly walking out of Dark of the Moon, there's no way I'm funding another one of those horrors.
I would take a fourth season of TF Prime over a fourth movie any day. It's a flawed series, to be sure, but ultimately a good one, and it least it doesn't have the stupid, pathetic, awful attempts at humour and pander to teenagers like the godawful film series did.
That is all.

njb902 wrote:You guys give the writers too much flack. The people that you should hold your ire for are the producers.

I have to agree...though I'd give the producers a break as well.
First and foremost, these folks have to make a show that will sell toys to kids. That's their livelihood. Could they have a little more variety in their episodes? sure.

Prime isn't as zany and plot-diverse as G1, ("Hoist goes to Hollywood", anyone? lol) but it's far more focused and sensible and respects the characters' natures a lot better. And remember how G1 was introducing new characters every episode...you don't see that level of crass commercialism in "Prime".

For what it is, I feel they're doing a fine job. Not perfect, but how often is ANYTHING perfect?

It wouldn't surprise me for this to be the case. They don't want two different continuities running simultaneously. Thus, TF4 will come and go, and then there'll be a new series after.

Three years is a good time I guess but what I am upset about is a "new" iteration. I don't mind characters changing through the course of a story but I do not like constant redesigns. I like this Ratchet. I like this Megatron and Arcee and Soundwave.

I kind of don't want to get used to something and then get it pulled out from under me. Same thing happened with TFA. LOved the world they made. Now I resigned myself to this Aligned continuity. This would be the version that was "transformers." Is that going to be changed now? Is the whole story going to be changed?

I'd be fine with a new iteration so long as it was a continuation. Id be fine with a traditionally animated show with the same characters. Maybe on a revived Cybertron. I'd be happy with a prequel series. But I don't like investing time into a show that just gets reset each time a movie comes out.

Surely there is a way to compromise?

Optimizzy wrote:Three years is a good time I guess but what I am upset about is a "new" iteration. I don't mind characters changing through the course of a story but I do not like constant redesigns. I like this Ratchet. I like this Megatron and Arcee and Soundwave.

I kind of don't want to get used to something and then get it pulled out from under me. Same thing happened with TFA. LOved the world they made. Now I resigned myself to this Aligned continuity. This would be the version that was "transformers." Is that going to be changed now? Is the whole story going to be changed?

I'd be fine with a new iteration so long as it was a continuation. Id be fine with a traditionally animated show with the same characters. Maybe on a revived Cybertron. I'd be happy with a prequel series. But I don't like investing time into a show that just gets reset each time a movie comes out.

Surely there is a way to compromise?

Well when they started Prime, they said that the Aligned continuity was going to be the one they'd run with for the next decade or so (exception being the movie-verse obviously).

Also, welcome to the forums!

Manterax Prime wrote:Whoah whoah whoah......wait, Hasbro's doing a series where the main characters from MLP become HUMAN!!!!?

GRRR.......how the frack did they read my mind????

Well, now I have to watch it, because I've always said I would only watch something MLP related if they did this.

THANK YOU! SOMEONE noticed the most important part of the paper.(jk)
oh, and i honestly think that this new series will KILL MLP. i won't be suprised if im wrong though.

to the REAL point of this post:
im not gonna worry. that and what was already said covers my thoughts and wishes.
im just gonna keep my anticipation for beast hunters and the after series live for now.
no use worrying over something that is out of our control, and in good hands.

KUMA-NIN Maximus wrote:I guess that is like saying Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ruined Sherlock Holmes because his final story had us see Holmes being retired, right?

Ironically, the whole reason he survived his trip over the falls with Moriarty(which is where Doyle intended to originally end the series) was because people at the time DID say he ruined the series by ending it with his death.

Midnight_Fox wrote:

KUMA-NIN Maximus wrote:I guess that is like saying Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ruined Sherlock Holmes because his final story had us see Holmes being retired, right?

Ironically, the whole reason he survived his trip over the falls with Moriarty(which is where Doyle intended to originally end the series) was because people at the time DID say he ruined the series by ending it with his death.

Well, killing off the title character is a good way to make the people that love your works (and that character) rather irate.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO THEY WOULDNT DO THIS TO ME....AGAIN! not after animated....given it diddnt get good till season 3 ther were soooo many questions left unanswered

Well, I have to say it. Officially I'm tired of this carrousel.
They start something... is good... We want more... and then they finish it only for rebooting it again and again.

I don't get it, when a live action series is good they have a long life, 4,5,6,7 seasons.
But when it comes to animated series they always cut them and rebooting on and on and on.
Transformers, Gijoe, Marvel and DC series, no matter how good they are we can always count on watch them crash.
Really!!, how many times can I hear, WE ARE CYBERNETIC ORGANISM FROM THE PLANET CYBERTRON ? and keep interested.

And then the worst part is that you end with a half made collection because the don't make all the characters.
There is no actual toy line that have a completed list of characters like the G1.
Not all 3 inecticons, not all 5 dinobots, not all 3 seekers, not all wreckers.

I think is enough for me, enough money invested and enough room occupied with robots.

I hoped that Transformers Prime woud be THAT SERIES, the one with 4 or 5 seasons, the one with all characters made into toys, the one that become the G1 for the new kids.

I'll watch the end of this and I will buy the new predacons because they are cool. But I will not follow any future transformer series with the passion I've been following PRIME and for sure I will not start any collection based on that future series.

I think that I will keep buying only third party, with the money I expend in an incomplete toy line from hasbro I could buy Giant or Hercules, Uranos and so on.

optimuscarlos wrote:Well, I have to say it. Officially I'm tired of this carrousel.
They start something... is good... We want more... and then they finish it only for rebooting it again and again.

I don't get it, when a live action series is good they have a long life, 4,5,6,7 seasons.
But when it comes to animated series they always cut them and rebooting on and on and on.
Transformers, Gijoe, Marvel and DC series, no matter how good they are we can always count on watch them crash.
Really!!, how many times can I hear, WE ARE CYBERNETIC ORGANISM FROM THE PLANET CYBERTRON ? and keep interested.

And then the worst part is that you end with a half made collection because the don't make all the characters.
There is no actual toy line that have a completed list of characters like the G1.
Not all 3 inecticons, not all 5 dinobots, not all 3 seekers, not all wreckers.

I think is enough for me, enough money invested and enough room occupied with robots.

I hoped that Transformers Prime woud be THAT SERIES, the one with 4 or 5 seasons, the one with all characters made into toys, the one that become the G1 for the new kids.

I'll watch the end of this and I will buy the new predacons because they are cool. But I will not follow any future transformer series with the passion I've been following PRIME and for sure I will not start any collection based on that future series.

I think that I will keep buying only third party, with the money I expend in an incomplete toy line from hasbro I could buy Giant or Hercules, Uranos and so on.

Once again, Hasbro has said multiple times that the Aligned continuity will go on for quite awhile. TFPrime will end, yes.
BUT.
We aren't looking at a reboot!
It will be another series in the same universe.
So:
[Aligned continuity season 4] :: TF Prime
as
Beast Wars :: the G1 cartoon

Wow that sucks, this is my favorite iteration of Transformers

I am actually pretty upset by this news. I was really hoping that this season with the Beast Hunters change would really just serve as an introduction into a new direction of TFP. My wish was that this could lead into at least one more, if not two more seasons of this iteration of a TF show.

However, I think the main reason I'm disappointed is that the season is so short! Originally it was announced to be 16, but now it's only 13. If it is only 13, I really hope the tv movie is basically the last 3 episodes all at once to help wrap up the show. At least then they are taking the necessary time and care to try and tie everything together. Yet, I for one am a little unclear as to how this tv "movie" will tie in with season 3.

I also remember reading comments from a producer or somebody at Hasbro talking about why this season would be shorter. He said something along the lines of it takes two longer seasons to get kids invested and then you don't have to produce as many shows to keep them watching. It just seems strange to me to finally get to that point and then end the show. If that Hasbro rep/exec was correct, then this appears to go away from their strategy.

At a minimum and as someone else mentioned earlier, I hope the budget remains about the same for half the amount of episodes to ensure lots of new characters. Hopefully the show will go out with a bang since they could spend about twice as much per episode and I realize that a bulk of their costs come from new character designs and renders.

I for one really love the look of TFP and will be very sad to see it go.

RAcast wrote:Also, welcome to the forums!

Thanks! Apparently I had an account for a while but never posted anything. Probably because nothing annoyed me enough!

RAcast wrote:BUT.
We aren't looking at a reboot!
It will be another series in the same universe.
So:
[Aligned continuity season 4] :: TF Prime
as
Beast Wars :: the G1 cartoon

I am ok with this, if this is what they intend to do. Like I said above, if they changed the format to traditional (and good) animation but kept the universe I would be happy.

However, I don't want this new series to be something like "The further adventures of Bumblebee" or something. It has to be about the war in some way.

And one other thing, apparently they had planned for the stories to last much longer than they did. Season 2 was sped up a little bit and they left out some stories. One of the writers (producers?) said that they had more filler stories in season 2 but the pacing demanded that they leave those out. So the truncated episode count does not sound like it was intentional.

I'd really wager that this is so they can tie something in with the upcoming movie.

Transformers Speed Stars: the Animated Series

^biggest fear^

Optimizzy wrote:

RAcast wrote:BUT.
We aren't looking at a reboot!
It will be another series in the same universe.
So:
[Aligned continuity season 4] :: TF Prime
as
Beast Wars :: the G1 cartoon

I am ok with this, if this is what they intend to do. Like I said above, if they changed the format to traditional (and good) animation but kept the universe I would be happy.

However, I don't want this new series to be something like "The further adventures of Bumblebee" or something. It has to be about the war in some way.

And one other thing, apparently they had planned for the stories to last much longer than they did. Season 2 was sped up a little bit and they left out some stories. One of the writers (producers?) said that they had more filler stories in season 2 but the pacing demanded that they leave those out. So the truncated episode count does not sound like it was intentional.

I'd really wager that this is so they can tie something in with the upcoming movie.

Transformers Speed Stars: the Animated Series

^biggest fear^

Yeahh, it REALLY showed in season two with one thing in particular. Bulkhead's recovery.
He was 'permanently' out of commission for what, two episodes?

And the mounting tension they built between him and Smokescreen never even came to a head! It really cheapened their dynamic.

I don't believe it.

I'm not being shocked, I seriously don't believe this. First there's three seasons, then there's four seasons, and then there's three seasons again. I'm waiting for what happens in the long run, not what rumors toss around here and there to confuse me to hell.

optimuscarlos wrote:And then the worst part is that you end with a half made collection because the don't make all the characters. There is no actual toy line that have a completed list of characters like the G1.

What? The only characters they haven't made as toys in Prime are Seaspray, Alpha Trion, Makeshift, Terrorcons, and Miners. And they're all very unimportant characters, why do they need toys?

Also, not every character in G1 got a toy in the original toyline either. Alpha Trion, Moonracer, Chromia, Devcon, Firestar (just to name a few). That comparison is invalid.

not all 3 seekers,

The biggest problem with Transformers Prime is the aesthetic. It's a mishmash of the TF Animated look and the TF Movie look. Neither one is appealing.

G1 was great because, for the most part, the early seasons featured robots that turned into realistic looking vehicles or devices. You know, "robots in disguise." They took plenty of liberties with the animation models, but the toys still looked like regular old cars, trucks, guns, and so on.

A few iterations based on shows since then have done that in some form or another, but in the efforts to "innovate", none has really matched G1. The Bayformers have unnecessarily complex, ugly bot modes (every Decepticon looks like an insect or a chicken), and the ones based on Animated or TF Prime just look too stylized and goofy. Stuff like Kreo has its own issues, though frankly I'd love to see a full-length Kreo stop motion movie.

Ultimately, while the acting in TF Prime is good enough for me to forgive the visuals, I don't buy toys I don't like the look of. (That includes almost the entire DOTM line.) And my nephews feel the same way. They don't dig silly.

If Hasbro would just get back to basics and think about what really made Transformers work from the beginning, it might be easier to sell toys. A Transformers show and movies with the same basic visual look as the Universe/Generations Classics toys--i.e., realistic alt modes and basically humanoid robot modes--would be the best thing ever. Ditch the crayons and aliens, and you'll sell some toys. The Binaltech line and what Kenji Ishida has done with Brave Robotics would be a great creative starting point for a reboot.

RAcast wrote:Once again, Hasbro has said multiple times that the Aligned continuity will go on for quite awhile. TFPrime will end, yes.
BUT.
We aren't looking at a reboot!
It will be another series in the same universe.
So:
[Aligned continuity season 4] :: TF Prime
as
Beast Wars :: the G1 cartoon

So do you figure it will be the same aesthetic as TF:Prime, but with different characters?

Or will it be a different look with the same characters in another setting (either past or future)?

Because if it's a different look with the same characters in pretty much the same setting, dealing with more or less the same situation, then that's just a reboot.

In whatever case, I still have hopes that the next series won't be crap. If they've been working on this for a 30th anniversary release though, then that makes me wonder what they've been doodling on. Also, makes me feel kinda like TFP was a sort of place holder.

I'm gutted! I've enjoyed Prime almost as much as G1, thanks Hasbro

Looks like this was just confirmed on the Facebook page. How sad.
https://www.facebook.com/TransformersPrimeTheHub

Fires_Of_Inferno wrote:

RAcast wrote:Once again, Hasbro has said multiple times that the Aligned continuity will go on for quite awhile. TFPrime will end, yes.
BUT.
We aren't looking at a reboot!
It will be another series in the same universe.
So:
[Aligned continuity season 4] :: TF Prime
as
Beast Wars :: the G1 cartoon

So do you figure it will be the same aesthetic as TF:Prime, but with different characters?

Or will it be a different look with the same characters in another setting (either past or future)?

Because if it's a different look with the same characters in pretty much the same setting, dealing with more or less the same situation, then that's just a reboot.

In whatever case, I still have hopes that the next series won't be crap. If they've been working on this for a 30th anniversary release though, then that makes me wonder what they've been doodling on. Also, makes me feel kinda like TFP was a sort of place holder.

Wfc and foc take place in the same continuity and look completely different than prime. It could go anywhere.

YRQRM0 wrote:Looks like this was just confirmed on the Facebook page. How sad.

Well, if this is the outcome, I'll pray the new series in 2014 will take place where Prime left off. Similarly to how Beast Machines served Beast Wars. Also, here's hoping it takes place in the far future with the Autobots making themselves known to mankind, serving as grounds for Autobot City.

Midnight_Fox wrote:

KUMA-NIN Maximus wrote:I guess that is like saying Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ruined Sherlock Holmes because his final story had us see Holmes being retired, right?

Ironically, the whole reason he survived his trip over the falls with Moriarty(which is where Doyle intended to originally end the series) was because people at the time DID say he ruined the series by ending it with his death.

Not saying this because he is family, but the reason why Sir Arthur Conan Doyle allowed Sherlock Holmes to survive was because the Queen was one of the many fans that wanted more. Not arguing that he might have gotten hate mail, which must have been more civil than you might see these days, but the fan-backed requests for more outshined those claims.

Season 3 having 13 episodes is nothing new and a well known fact.

The 75-minute DVD thing is likely something like what the "Darkness Rising" and "One Shall Stand" DVDs were: A multi-part episode with each part edited together into one single presentation.

Season 3 being the end, however, honestly doesn't come as a surprise to me. They did say that this season's finale was going to be made like a series finale, and that if they were to end the series that one would be a good place to do so. BUT, just because this is the end of the TF: Prime chapter of the story does NOT mean that it is the end of the whole story altogether. There are plans for something to come after, so we'll have to wait and see what that is.

PrymeStriker wrote:

YRQRM0 wrote:Looks like this was just confirmed on the Facebook page. How sad.

Well, if this is the outcome, I'll pray the new series in 2014 will take place where Prime left off. Similarly to how Beast Machines served Beast Wars. Also, here's hoping it takes place in the far future with the Autobots making themselves known to mankind, serving as grounds for Autobot City.

They used the word "incarnation," and not "sequel." So my guess is that in the end, the series will end with the revival of Cybertron. They made it clear that the series was all about the war for Cybertron, even though they did hint Earth had ties to it. However, even if they do cap it off with Beast Hunters, we should see more PRIME-based comics and stories come out of IDW. Maybe even talks of another follow-up series starring the Wreckers. (They better do that as Ultra Magnus deserves some respect!)

Up to Hasbro, as I think them using that word means that they are planning to create something both new and different - Hopefully a new G1-ish series, as it is the franchise's 30th anniversary. But even if they do not, I hope to be watching the first episode of the new series in the comfort of a fort made entirely of Kerokero Ace magazines and boxes containing my AFA graded Transformers.

amtm wrote:The biggest problem with Transformers Prime is the aesthetic. It's a mishmash of the TF Animated look and the TF Movie look. Neither one is appealing.

G1 was great because, for the most part, the early seasons featured robots that turned into realistic looking vehicles or devices. You know, "robots in disguise." They took plenty of liberties with the animation models, but the toys still looked like regular old cars, trucks, guns, and so on.

A few iterations based on shows since then have done that in some form or another, but in the efforts to "innovate", none has really matched G1. The Bayformers have unnecessarily complex, ugly bot modes (every Decepticon looks like an insect or a chicken), and the ones based on Animated or TF Prime just look too stylized and goofy. Stuff like Kreo has its own issues, though frankly I'd love to see a full-length Kreo stop motion movie.

Ultimately, while the acting in TF Prime is good enough for me to forgive the visuals, I don't buy toys I don't like the look of. (That includes almost the entire DOTM line.) And my nephews feel the same way. They don't dig silly.

If Hasbro would just get back to basics and think about what really made Transformers work from the beginning, it might be easier to sell toys. A Transformers show and movies with the same basic visual look as the Universe/Generations Classics toys--i.e., realistic alt modes and basically humanoid robot modes--would be the best thing ever. Ditch the crayons and aliens, and you'll sell some toys. The Binaltech line and what Kenji Ishida has done with Brave Robotics would be a great creative starting point for a reboot.

I'm afraid I completely disagree. I think the show's aesthetic is one of its stronger aspects. It's very stylized, and doesn't feel the need to show all the moving mechanical parts like the live action films. It's distinct and impressive without trying to look real. It doesn't look like much else on TV. The Decepticons in particular have great designs, and these are probably my favorite looks Ratchet, Bulkhead, and Arcee have ever had. Prime Soundwave may not be as iconic as his casette playing boombox self, but I'm willing to wager you knew who he was in his first appearance, and know what a badass he is without any lines of dialogue whatsoever. If that isn't a testament to the capabilities of the animation (storylines notwithstanding), where an emotionless,
voiceless aerial drone is one of your favorite characters, I'm not sure where to begin.


On to season 3 conclusions... well, until Megatron is dead-dead, I really don't think there's any way for the story to be over. If he goes into hiding, even with the Nemesis and the New Kaon fortress gone, he'll still be the scariest, most insane mofo in the galaxy. No matter how much they tie up this season there'll be dangling unresolved plot threads and much fanwank will ensue.